


The Princesses Plea

by NaoSa (orphan_account)



Category: Fablehaven Series - Brandon Mull
Genre: Arena, But I don’t care, F/M, Fairy Realm, Foreshadowing, Giant Queen - Freeform, I made up Bracken’s sisters, Kendra/ Bracken, Ronodin!, Seth Sorenson - Freeform, Short Story, Violence, battles, but my take, fairy queen, lot’s of cliffhangers, lot’s of this will probably be wron in the future, nothing too gory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26735950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/NaoSa
Summary: Angelina, Princess of the Fairy Realm has been kidnapped. Kendra, Bracken and Seth are sent to answer her plea. Her kidnappers want Angelina to reveal the secrets of the Fairy Realm in order for it to fall. Angelina resists, but she can only stay away for so long. Will her plea be answered, or will a realm be lost along with its royals? Rated T for violence, no cursing.CONTINUED SOLEY ON FANFICTION.NET
Relationships: Bracken/Kendra Sorenson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. Kendra l

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a story for you guys! This story is on fanfiction.net as well! Same username and story name!
> 
> Bracken: Oh, how nice it isn’t to see the sun again after being in the dungeon for centuries! I’m free!
> 
> Me: No, you’re mind.
> 
> *everyone glares at me*
> 
> Me: *raises hands in surrender* Fine! Fablehaven is not mine!
> 
> Bracken: So I am free!
> 
> Brandon Mull: No, you belong to me! Ha ha ha ha!
> 
> Everyone: ...
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story! (That was the random, cute little disclaimer)

Kendra l

* * *

It was moments like these Kendra lived for. The amazing feeling of peace that could never be faked. Her fingers didn't shake and her eyes were looking nowhere in particular. And she wasn't alone either.

Bracken lay by her side, pointing out all the best clouds. One of Kendra's favorite games was to watch the clouds. She loved the cycle of how they were made and how you couldn't touch them but they were there. They were always there.

They were sitting at the fairy shrine, one place no one else was allowed. Somewhere where they could be alone. It also happened to have the best view and area in all of Fablehaven. And it was even better than before.

Kendra sighed in content, allowing her back to fully lay down on the blanket she had laid out. Bradken soon followed her example.

"That one's a Duck," Bracken said, pointing to a cloud to Kendra's right.

"I think that one's a guitar," Kendra countered happily.

"Maybe I'll agree if you tell me what a guitar is," Bracken winked at her.

"It's a musical instrument, and it's shaped like that cloud," Kendra smirked.

"That's cheating!" Bracken protested, "How do I know you're not lying?"

"I'm a creature of light aren't I?" Kendra asked, "I can't lie."

"If only that were true," Bracken teased as Kendra playfully poked his shoulder. Kendra didn't lie that often, did she? She was terrible at lying. It seems like Seth got all of that out of the two of them. He often used that skill quite a bit.

"I am a creature of light," she protested.

"Half of one."

"Well I got more than half a brain," she retorted.

Bracken laughed, "That's for sure."

"Seth would have said are you sure,"

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm not Seth."

Kendra snorted, "amen to that. I don't think the world can handle two of Seth Sorenson. I can barely manage with one. And becoming a shadow charmer and saving the world didn't help his ego."

"True," Bracken agreed and they sat in comfortable silence until Kendra decided to break it.

"I think that one's a fairy," she said, pointing to a far cloud.

"Now that is one I can agree on," Bracken agreed.

"How is the fairy realm doing?" She asked, "Has it fallen because of its silly prince yet?"

"Hey!" Bracken pouted, "I happen to be a very good prince, thank you very much!"

"Uh-huh," Kendra smiled innocently.

"The fairy realm happens to be doing very well, thanks to my guidance," Bracken informed her, emphasizing the my.

"How about your father?" She asked.

Bracken's head fell. "Not much has changed since we found him," he admitted, "We have managed to free him from the curses but we Can't do much else. The damage has been done and he has yet to talk."

"I'm sorry," Kendra said mournfully.

Bracken brightened, "It's not your fault Kendra! You saved him! I wish we had known so we could've mounted a rescue!"

"I guess," But Kendra knew she wasn't being honest. She always blamed herself for things, even things she had no control over whatsoever.

"You want to come to see it for yourself?" Bracken smiled, raising his eyebrows.

"Seriously?" Kendra asked, surprised.

Bracken shrugged happily, "I don't see why not."

"Are you sure though?" Kendra fidgeted with her hands, "I mean, I don't belong there. I'm just a mortal."

"Kendra," Bracken said gently, yet firmly, "If you don't belong there, no one does. You slew the demon king! You're fairykind!"

Kendra blushed, "But I'm mortal."

"So?" Bracken asked, "Come on. Not an option anymore."

"You can't make me," She mocked.

"Yes, I can!" He mocked and shoved her into the shrines waters. Kendra yelled in surprise as Bracken dove in as well.

Light. All Kendra saw was light. Swirling around and slowly taking form.

Within minutes, all the light had formed into a paradise. Kendra now wore a long white dress with golden outlines, and her hair was done in an elegant braid. She squished her toes into the soft grass. She had never felt more at peace in her life.

"You look stunning," came a voice from behind her. Kendra turned to see Bracken, now wearing an elegant outfit. He looked just like who he was, a prince.

"This is the fairy realm!" Kendra said, "It's beautiful!"

"It will be more impressive in years to come," Bracken said simply, holding out his elbow, inviting her to take it.

Kendra slipped her arm into his without hesitation as he guided her around the paradise.

There were beautiful trees, flowers, and grass and everything was so beautiful. Kendra couldn't find a single thing that made her want to look away.

"It's still in progress," Bracken explained, "We can do flowers and grass easily, but some ancient structures or groves would add a lot.

"I think it's already perfect!" Kendra gushed, "It's so different here than in the mortal world! How could you ever leave this place!"

"For me, it became normal." Bracken said simply, "I wanted to see something new. Earth does have its beauty. The thing about the fairy realm is it is all the same. Earth has so many different perspectives and how it all clashes."

"I can see that," Kendra smiled, "But I also don't."

"Understandable," Bracken agreed.

They could've walked for years or even seconds, but Kendra couldn't tell. She felt no time here, everything just slowed down.

"What's it like?" Kendra asked, "Being immortal?"

"Different," Bracken said slowly, "Everything feels faster but yet slower. I feel going, but I am very old by your standards."

"What I'm curious about," Kendra teased, "is if unicorns are near-immortal, and you're considered young, they're just going to keep growing older like you. You're going to be the little kid forever, and the younger kids even younger."

Bracken pouted playfully, "Unicorns are interesting creatures. We are similar to humans but also so different. We don't feel some emotions the same way."

"That's an interesting way to put it." Kendra smiled, admiring a mountain in the distance.

"You see that hill ?" Bracken asked, pointing out to a mountain a few miles away.

Kendra nodded enthusiastically.

"Look closer," Bracken smiled.

Kendra squinted and looked hard at the hill. Slowly, it began to ripple, revealing a massive White Castle.

"It's beautiful!" Kendra gushed, "Is that your castle?"

"Not all mine," Bracken said sheepishly, "It belongs to royalty."

"In other words, it's your castle," Kendra smirked.

"Sure," Bracken smiled.

"Oh my gosh!" Kendra exclaimed, "Look at those roses!"

Kendra crouched down and breathed in the beautiful fragrance. She had seen people brag about roses half this impressive and sell for a hundred dollars.

Bracken smiled at her before kneeling himself. He gently picked a rose put in Kendra's hair, "for you," he smiled.

Kendra melted, being here made her feel amazing. She could see what Raxtus said about coming here so much. You let go of everything, but you feel so peaceful.

"Thank you," she said gratefully, accepting his hand up.

"Do you want to meet someone?" Bracken asked.

Kendra fidgeted with the sleeve of her dress, "I don't know," she said uncertainly. She was nervous that they wouldn't accept her, despite Bracken's reassurances.

"Then it's decided," he pulled her towards a lake. Right away, Kendra noticed about five full-size fairies relaxing by the edges.

If it was possible, these fairies were even more beautiful than the ones back at Fablehaven, and those fairies weren't bad looking. Kendra tried not to see the whispers that were exchanged when she and Bracken walked over.

"Hello, Sylvia! Good morning, Luciya! Greetings, Kali!" He continued addressing each fairy by name, each one giggling when Bracken called out their name.

"Hello, prince Bracken!" Said a fairy with majestic orange hair, "Hello Kendra!"

"You know me?" Kendra asked, surprised.

"Who doesn't know you?" The fairy asked, envy trying to be hidden in her tone.

"You're Luciya? Right?" Kendra said uncertainty.

The fairy beamed, "I am!"

"I love your dress," Kendra complimented, "It goes well with your skin tone."

Luciya bopped Kendra on the nose, "You," she started, "know the ways to a fairy's heart." Luciya flew away back to the lake where she instantly went back to checking her reflection in the crystal water.

"That was smooth," Bracken complimented.

Kendra blushed, "I'm just glad I didn't fall on my face. I can't believe she talked to me!"

"Luciya has more confidence than most," Bracken agreed.

"Confidence?" Kendra asked, confused.

"Of course they need lots of confidence to talk to you!" Bracken exclaimed, "You are a recipe for envy!"

"I thought they just wouldn't want to talk to me because I'm," that was as far as she got before Bracken cut her off.

"If you say that again, I will personally throw you in the naiad's pond."

"Alright!" Kendra threw her hands in the air, "I'll stop doing that!"

"Good," he smirked.

"But didn't you ban the naiads from drowning me?" Kendra asked.

"I can lift that ban," he stuck out his tongue.

"Then I'll order them myself," she huffed, "Thanks again for telling me about that."

"I shouldn't tell you anything," Bracken mumbled, "You always find a way to use it against me."

"Well duh," Kendra said, "Where's the fun in just doing it?"

"I guess," Bracken said, "But that doesn't mean I have to like it. Do you want to see the flower gardens?"

"You have flower gardens!" Kendra exclaimed happily, "Please!"

Bracken smiled, taking her arm again and leading her to the east. Taking extra care to point out things along the way. Kendra gushed about everything, this was unlike anything she had ever seen before and she didn't want to waste a minute.

Kendra was in the middle of admiring a quartz statue when a unicorn ran up to them. Kendra was startled by seeing a true unicorn for the first time, no offense to Bracken. But Bracken treated this as if it were a perfectly normal occurrence, which it probably was.

"Prince Bracken," said the unicorn. The voice was so smooth and low it almost seemed unnatural to Kendra.

"Dominic," Bracken greeted before turning to Kendra, "This is Dominic. He's a Royal guard for my family." He explained.

"This must be Kendra," the unicorn dipped his head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kendra curtsied politely.

"The honor is mine," Dominic said smoothly.

Bracken coughed, "Is there a reason you are here?"

Dominic whipped his head back, causing his unicorn mane to go flying. "The queen wishes to speak with you."

"Can I take Kendra back first?" Bracken asked, squeezing her hand.

"The queen wishes for the girl to come as well," Dominic informed her.

Bracken pinched his forehead, "I don't know," he said.

Kendra faced Bracken and smiled, "It's alright Bracken." She assured him, It's safe here, I'll be fine staying here for a little longer."

Bracken sighed, "I assume you mean right now?" He asked.

The unicorn nodded, "It's urgent," He said mournfully.

"Alright," Bracken agreed.

"Hope on," Dominic bowed his front half. Bracken hopped on without effort before helping Kendra get on. He smiled reassuringly. "Hang on," Dominic warned, and they were off.

Kendra noticed right away that a unicorn was much faster than a normal horse. Maybe even a car, she held on tight to Bracken tightly of fear that she might fall off.

Eventually, Bracken turned to Dominic, "What's the emergency?"

"Angelina is missing."

Bracken looked like he had been kicked in the chest.

"Whose Angelica?" Kendra asked, "A fairy?"

"Do you not know who Angelica is?" Dominic asked aghast.

"Hush," Bracken scolded the unicorn before turning to Kendra, "Kendra," he said softly, "Angelica is my sister."


	2. Kendra ll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 2! Clearly you like this story, or you wouldn’t continue! Be sure to tell me that! :D
> 
> I have gone through five genie lamps, but yet I still do not own Fablehaven. *sighs*

They rode the rest of the way to the castle in silence. Unless you counted Kendra's thoughts which were currently louder than thunder.

Kendra could see the strange glint in Bracken's eyes, she guessed he cared a lot about his sister. She knew the feeling, for she felt the same way about her brother Seth.

She remembered during the Battle Of The Zzyzx when Bracken and Seth were both injured. When she took Vasilis and slew the demon king out of fury. The emotion in her eyes then was similar to what she saw in Bracken now.

It took only a few minutes to reach the castle and to say it was better than Kendra expected would be an understatement.

The whole castle was an unblemished white with every line precise. Every flower and shrub was in the exact right place and the right size. Kendra noticed fairies were stationed all around the castle and a lot of them too. She was guessing they didn't have that many guards before.

When they reached the front gate, Dominic stopped adroitly. "This is where I drop you off," he announced, "Bracken, your mother wishes to meet you in the throne room, do you know how to get there?" Bracken nodded and quickly hopped off, well holding a hand out for Kendra, which she again, gratefully took.

Kendra noticed Bracken was not acting like usual. There was a strange way he walked as if he was uncertain, something he didn't often feel, Kendra knew.

The castle was even more beautiful inside, in Kendra's opinion. The tapestry was so beautiful it looked real and everything so neat, Kendra was afraid to touch it. It's a good thing Seth isn't here because he would have been the bull in this china shop.

It felt like they walked for hours on their way to the throne room. The castle was massive in Kendra's opinion.

"How do you navigate this place?" Kendra asked, turning to face Bracken.

He gave her a small smile, "I can't," he admitted, "I just follow my mother's aura."

"Like mine?" Kendra questioned.

Bracken nodded enthusiastically, "Exactly! How do you think I always find you during the game hide and seek?" He added mischievously.

Kendra faked aghast, "How dare you!"

Bracken shrugged mischievously, "I couldn't ignore your light if I tried." He said, "But who doesn't mean I can't use that to my advantage."

"Cheater," Kendra huffed.

Bracken laughed, "Do you want to try it?"

"Try what?" Kendra asked.

"Sensing auras," he explained, "It shouldn't take more than a minute to explain."

"Sure," Kendra smiled.

"What you want to do is either focus on a person or home in on something," Bracken stated, "So let's say you're trying to find me. Picture me in your mind and then focus on my core, But if you are just trying to find light in general, just kind of reach out. You only want to do that with stronger auras or else it may get confusing. You and mother are some of the ones with stronger auras. You'll feel it in a way, but not exactly see it."

Kendra decided to try the second approach. She focused deeply and closed her eyes, focusing on finding the light.

Suddenly, she felt a strange tug going towards her right. She opened her eyes and then her mouth, "Is your mother towards the right?" She asked hopefully.

Bracken smiled happily, "She is! You're a natural at this!"

Kendra blushed, "Now I can find you in hide and seek," she smirked.

Bracken chuckled and winked, "Then let's agree to not play that game anymore,"

They then walked in comfortable silence, homing in on the fairy queen's aura as guidance. Before long, they reached a pair of massive doors.

Kendra was so nervous her palms were sweating. She was about to talk to one of the five monarchs in person. Sure she had that brief encounter at the Battle Of The Zzyzx and talked with her mind to mind, but this was different.

Bracken noticed her discomfort through their touch and squeezed her hand. "Are you alright?" He asked with hints of worry laced in his tone.

Kendra shook her head, "I'm fine. Just a little nervous."

He smiled reassuringly at her, "Just be yourself," he advised, "my mother loves you. Maybe even more than she loves me," he admitted.

Kendra elbowed him, "Don't talk like that. So are we doing this?"

"Yep," he said, popping out the "p" as he pushed open the doors.

Inside the massive room was one of the most beautiful thrones Kendra had ever seen. It had the most beautiful engravings and jewels, with flowers added so precisely they almost looked artificial. Kendra noticed there were two thrones. One slightly bigger than the other, where the fairy queen sat.

The fairy king was sitting in the other, but Kendra couldn't help but feel he wasn't there. He appeared to be looking at them, but he also didn't.

Kendra and Bracken both dropped to their knees.

"Rise," the fairy queen smiled, "You two do not need to bow for me."

Kendra hastily stood up but kept her head bowed.

"Is it true?" Bracken blurted out, "Is Angelina missing?"

The fairy queen nodded gravely, "Does Kendra know who Angelina is?"

"A little," Kendra admitted, "Only that she is Bracken's sister."

"Angelina is one of the four princesses of the fairy realm," the fairy queen agreed, "She is also the youngest of all my children."

Kendra's eyebrows raised in interest, "Now that I think about, I may have read a little bit about her," she admitted.

"You enjoy reading?" The fairy queen asked.

"I do," Kendra admitted, "Bracken has brought me a few of the fairy realm's books. I love the story of the previous Fairykinds."

Bracken coughed, "Could we get back to Angelina?" He asked.

"Yes," the fairy queen said, "Angelina like Bracken had an obsession with your world. She had gone out yesterday night, against my wishes, to go visit a caretaker. Normally, she would be back within a few hours." The fairy queen paused.

"But the fairies at that preserve reported that last night the preserve had been attacked. Resulting in causality that killed the caretaker and resulted in the kidnapping of Angelina."

"She always was reckless," Bracken muttered under his breath.

"Angelina is the troublemaker of the family, besides Bracken," the fairy agreed despite Bracken's protests, "But she is also loyal and I do not doubt that. But I do not know how long she can hold out so far from the fairy realm. Bracken can spend unlimited time in your world because he only has his human avatar, but she has a lot of the fairy realm still in her, which she deeply depends on."

"Do you know where she is?" Bracken asked hopefully.

The fairy queen shook her head, "Just like you once were, she is cut off."

"Do you know how we could find her?" Kendra asked hopefully.

"If I am not mistaken, you have a river troll at Fablehaven with a seeing stone. Correct?" The fairy queen asked.

Kendra recalled the last time she had visited Nero. They had needed information and gave him a massage in exchange. Kendra quickly shook the thought of his reptilian skin.

"There is," Kendra agreed, "I take it you want us to go to him?"

The fairy queen nodded, "Seeing stones are powerful objects and should allow you to find her without any trouble."

"What are we to give him in exchange?" Kendra asked.

"I have gathered a reasonable sum of gems that he should agree to." The fairy queen snapped her fingers causing a satchel to appear around Kendra.

She curiously opened the stack and saw that it was an interdimensional storage sack like the one she had before. Inside, there were barrels and barrels of treasure. "Keep the satchel when you are done," the fairy queen said.

"Thank you," Kendra said gratefully.

"No trouble at all," the fairy queen said. "You must leave immediately."

"Of course," Bracken agreed.

"I would also like you to take the shadow charmer with you," the fairy queen added, "His skills will come in useful when you are bargaining with the River troll.

"Alright," Bracken agreed.

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Kendra asked.

"As I mentioned before, Angelina's time is running out," the fairy queen informed them, "In three midnights, she will run out of light energy and cause her to die. Under any circumstances must this happen."

"Of course," Bracken went for a smile.

"You are dismissed," the fairy queen smiled, "May light be with you,"

"May light be with you," Bracken returned as he led Kendra out of the room. Once they were out the doors he turned to face Kendra, "Did you realize we did that whole conversation in one of the most secret fairy languages?" He asked.

"Really?" Kendra asked, surprised, "I just heard English."

"I told you you were powerful," he mocked.

Kendra rolled her eyes, "Come on, unicorn, let's start heading back. How do we get back?" She asked.

"We'll have to go to the jump point," Bracken explained.

"And where is the jump point?" She asked.

"It's at a statue of my mother," he explained, "It's about a ten-minute walk," he explained as they exited the castle.

"Tell me about your family," Kendra asked.

"Well, you already know about Angelina." He started, "Her name ironically means angel, but as my mother said, she is a troublemaker. She loves your world like me and she is the youngest."

"What about your other siblings?" Kendra asked.

"Celine is the second youngest and the most innocent. Her name means heavens. She loves to garden and that is almost always where you can find her."

"She sounds nice," Kendra smiled.

"You'd like her," Bracken admitted, "I'll introduce you two at some point."

"What place are you?" Kendra asked.

"I'm the second oldest and my name means mud," he said.

Kendra laughed, "Your sisters' names are beautiful," she admitted, "I almost feel Jealous of them! They are good names for a princess though."

"They are nice names," Bracken agreed, "But I like Kendra more, you know why?"

"Why?" Kendra asked.

"Because the name is on you," he said smoothly, causing Kendra's cheeks to have a pink tint.

"That's very sweet," she said, but then quickly changed the topic, "Who is the middle child?" Kendra asked.

"Jade," Bracken said, "She takes being a princess the most seriously. She is one of mothers closest advisors for many things."

"And the oldest?" Kendra asked.

"Quinn," Bracken stated, "She is the know-it-all of the group. You can almost always find her in the library. She also always stands for just judgments."

"Huh," Kendra pondered, "Do you care about them?"

"I love all my sisters," Bracken agreed, "I've always felt a connection to Angelina though. We used to sneak out together all the time. She came to investigate the shrine at Living Mirage with me, but I stayed behind so she could escape."

"I never knew that," Kendra said, "That was brave of you."

"And that's how I ended up in prison," he said, "but I don't regret a minute of that. She wouldn't have lasted in Living Mirage but I managed to cope."

"What was it like?" Kendra asked.

Bracken's head dropped a little, "It was hard." He admitted, "I was the only immortal being there so I was not only forced to cope with it, I had to watch everyone who came eventually die."

Kendra squeezed his hand, "I'm still sorry you had to go through that," Kendra apologized.

"Kendra, not everything is your fault." Bracken said sternly, "That was the opposite of your fault. You are the one who broke me out of there!"

"True," Kendra agreed, "But I still feel like everything is my fault."

"It's part of your nature," Bracken smiled, "I feel that way a lot too. Just remember that, alright?"

"Alright." Kendra agreed as they continued walking.

Soon, they came up to a statue of the fairy queen, just like Bracken had explained.

"Now what?" She asked.

He gave her a broad grin, "We jump!" And with that, he pulled her into the statue.


	3. Seth l

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh! Seth’s been a naughty boy! Glad to see you are still reading this. ;)
> 
> So here is the next chapter. Yes, it is Seth. Don’t sue me for it not being Kendra. Also, PLEASE DON’T SUE ME BRANDON MULL! I KNOW FABLEHAVEN IS YOURS!
> 
> Anyways, now on with the story.

"No, you said thirty batteries for a diamond," Seth crossed his arms.

"No," Doren said, "I said forty batteries," he mimicked Seth's gesture.

"Yeah," Doren agreed, "Forty batteries."

"Then I guess I'll take these batteries back," Seth slung the bag back over his shoulder.

Doren grabbed Seth's shirt sleeve, "Wait!" He cried desperately, "Let's be reasonable!"

"Thirty batteries," Seth suggested.

"Forty," Newel bargained.

"Thirty-two," Seth countered.

"Thirty-eight," Doren added.

"Thirty-four," Seth narrowed his eyebrows.

"Thirty-six," Newel put on his best serious face.

"Thirty-five," Seth countered.

Doren enthusiastically shook his hands, "You have yourself a deal!"

"The diamond?" Seth asked.

Doren ran behind his shed to emerge a minute later with a diamond. It was already cut and in a ring, not half bad work, in Seth's opinion. He handed over the batteries which Doren very politely snatched and Newel ran away with.

"Are you planning on proposing to someone?" Doren teased.

Seth rolled his eyes, "No, I plan to sell this for a pretty penny. I want to get this new video game, but it is really expensive."

"Video game? Shouldn't cool," Doren said.

"It is," Seth agreed, lI still don't get why you need batteries. Didn't I get you a big screen TV?"

"Newel broke it," Doren blurted out.

"No, Doren just can't pitch to save his life!" Newel countered.

"Hello friends!" Came a voice from behind him. It was none other than Verl the satyr.

Doren groaned, "Hi Verl," he said unenthusiastically.

Verl beamed, "Hello Doren!"

"Whatcha up to Verl," Seth asked boringly.

"I was just wondering where your lovely sister might be,"

"Dude, she's off limits," Newel said and muttered the next part under his breath, "And apparently Vanessa too, she likes Warren for some reason."

"What does she see in him?" Doren pondered.

"And what's wrong with us?" Newel said dramatically.

Seth chose not to answer that question.

"I think she's out somewhere with Bracken," Seth shrugged, "If I remember correctly a picnic on the fairy queens shrine,"

Verl's face fell, "Oh." He said, "Can you give her this for me?" He asked, pulling out a elegant necklace.

"Sure," Seth took the necklace, "Anything else?"

"Nope," Verl said, "Bye friends!"

"Bye Verl," Newel echoed as the red-headed satyr skipped off into the woods.

"I should get going," Seth admitted, "It's almost dinner time."

"Bye Seth!" Newel said.

"Let us know if you want to bargain again!" Doren cried out desperately.

"The TV shows," Newel muttered dreamingly.

Seth shook his head as he walked away. Some things would never change and not just because they're near immortal.

Immortal is such an interesting word, Seth wondered. Bracken is immortal and maybe Kendra will be one day as well. Seth shook the thought from his head, his sister would never leave him. Right?

He knew Kendra and Bracken like each other but that doesn't mean anything is set in stone. Not that he wouldn't like Bracken becoming his bro, that would be awesome in his opinion.

He pondered this the whole way to the house.

He definitely approved of Bracken, he didn't seem like the type to play with feelings and break hearts, but he honestly preffered if Kendra stay single, not that he would admit this to her.

The diamond felt heavier in his pocket as he walked towards the house. He knew he wasn't supposed to be trading with the satyrs, but he needed the money! That video game is supposed to be amazing, he had seen all the commercials.

Honestly though, he wouldn't be surprised if Grandpa Sorenson found out about the diamond and took it away. He wouldn't be surprised, but that doesn't mean he would be happy either.

He had to admit, his grandpa was good at finding things out Seth didn't want him to know. Seth was still mad that he confiscated his secret candy stash and gave it to Kendra. And she didn't even eat it! She gave it to the fairies claiming she wanted to watch her figure.

Even though Seth had seen her sneak a few pieces for herself, not that he could really blame her for it anyway.

Seth slowly opened the door and shut it behind him. He didn't want to draw attention to himself, because he didn't have a good reason to be out there. And Seth wasn't exactly the type to go out there to smell the roses.

Unfortunately, someone had been waiting for him. There stood Grandpa Sorenson with his arms crossed. "Hand it over," he put out his hand.

Seth knew there was no use arguing so he handed over the jewel. Grandpa Sorenson inspected the jewel thoroughly and sighed.

"Seth, how many times do I have to tell you not to bargain with the satyrs," he scolded, "You know I told you not to."

"Sorry Grandpa," Seth echoed.

"And did you know this jewel is cursed?" Grandpa Sorenson asked.

Seth snapped his head up, "What!"

"It has the mark of an Ogre on it," Grandpa Sorenson sowed him the jewel, "By wearing it, you would allow it to follow you anywhere."

Seth was so going to kill the satyrs once this was over.

"I'm sorry Grandpa," Seth repeated, though a little more sincerely than last time.

Grandpa Sorenson sighed, "We'll finish talking about this later," he promised, "Right now, your sister said she needed to talk to us about something urgent."

"Urgent?" Seth asked hopefully, in hopes he would get to go on a mission.

Grandpa Sorenson shrugged, "Kendra wanted to wait until you were here,"he become Seth over to the living room, but Seth liked to call it the mission room.

When Seth walked in, he noticed that a few of their friends were there. Sitting around the table was Warren, Vanessa, Kendra and Bracken along with two seats left for him and his grandfather, which they promptly took.

"What's the emergency?" Seth blurted out.

Bracken sighed, "Angelina is missing."

"Who?" Warren asked.

"My sister, princess of the fairy realm." Bracken explained.

"Then I say we leave her there," Vanessa snorted.

Bracken glared at her, "They are trying to find out the secrets of the fairy realm. We only have 3 days to stop her before she dies and sends the whole realm into chaos."

"That doesn't sound good," Seth admitted.

"We haven't been able to find her," Bracken started, "We have to go visit Nero, I believe he is called and use his seeing stone to locate her,"

"Do you have anything to pay him with?" Warren inquired.

Bracken nodded, "Kendra had a bag full of gems that should be more than enough."

Seth perked up at the mention of gems.

"And who is doing this?" Grandpa Sorenson inquired.

"The fairy queen requested that me, Kendra and Seth do this mission," Bracken explained, "She ordered this herself and we are not in a position to veto her decision."

Grandpa Sorenson nodded thoughtfully, "I suppose Seth would come in handy now that he is a shadow charmer," he admitted, "And you and Kendra are some of her most trusted."

Bracken nodded, "We have to leave soon," he confirmed, "Seth, do you think you can be ready in about a hour?"

Seth nodded enthusiastically, finally something interesting to do!

"Then you guys leave in one hour," Grandpa Sorenson agreed, "May the odds be ever in your favor."

"Seriously Grandpa?" Seth asked.

Grandpa scrunched up his face, "I thought that saying was popular these days, I am trying to be cool."

Seth didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Seth was shoving things into his emergency kit without any order, making Kendra roll her eyes.

"Let's hope you'll be able to find something," she joked, "I'd rather not die because you can't find your sword and pull out a banana instead."

Seth rolled his eyes, "Let's hope you are not to neat,"

"Are you guys almost ready?" Bracken asked, popping his head through the door.

"Almost," Kendra reported.

"Great!" He said, "Meet me downstairs in twenty minutes."

"Alright," Seth said, doing his best to fit his sword into his kit.

"How do you feel about the mission Seth?" Kendra asked

"Amazing!" Seth said happily.

"I hope you don't mean the fact that Angelina was kidnapped," Kendra said seriously, "And that you mean you are excited to get out."

"Sure," Seth said distractedly, "do you really have bags full of gems?"

"Yes," Kendra said, "They're for bargaining with Nero."

"Cool," Seth said.

"Did grandpa bust you trading with the satyrs again?" Kendra asked.

"How did you know!" He blurted out.

'The fairies told me," she said simply.

"I didn't know fairies were gossips," Seth huffed.

Kendra laughed, "Fairies are the definition of a mean girl. Vain, beautiful and gossips."

"I'm telling the fairy queen you said that," Seth stuck his tounge out.

"But how would you reach her?" Kendra asked innocently, "Only those with special clearance can set foot on the shrine."

"I'll have Bracken tell her," Seth countered.

"I'll tell him not to," Kendra said simply.

"Of course he's on your side," Seth huffed, "He's always on your side."

Kendra blushed lightly, "Maybe because my side is the right side," she said slyly.

"Sometimes I think you take after me too much," Seth chuckled.

"I'm sorry, who's the older sibling?" Kendra asked, knowing the answer.

"Who's the shadow charmer?" Seth asked.

"Warren," Kendra said as Seth pouted.

"You are so mean to me," he whined, "I thought my sister would be loving and caring! But here is a girl who teases me and gossips with the fairies."

"At least I have someone to gossip with," she said, "Last time I checked, I didn't see any undead around here."

"I hate you," Seth huffed

"No, you love me!" Kendra flashed a bright grin that could cause a demon's heart to melt.

"Yes, I do." Seth agreed and hugged her.

Kendra stiffened at first, Seth wasn't one to hug like this but that didn't mean she didn't like it. She gently wrapped her arms around her brothers back, returning the hug.

She didn't see Seth's hand sneak into the bag, to emerge with a single gem.

"You ready to head downstairs?" Kendra asked.

"Yes," Seth agreed, "Lets go!"

Kendra didn't notice the single jewel slip into Seth's pocket.


	4. Seth ll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I begged hard, but yet U do not own Fablehaven. I guess I’ll go cry in the corner now... I do hope you enjoy the story though. Be sure to comment or like or whatever.

Bracken, Kendra, and Seth hiked down the trail. It was about an hour walk to reach Nero on foot and Stan didn't allow technology at Fablehaven and this trail was too bumpy for bikes. So they had to walk, which normally wouldn't be a bad thing if you weren't walking with Seth.

"Are we there yet!" Seth whined, "I'm tired!"

"Then baby Seth can go back to Fablehaven," Kendra huffed.

"Don't pretend you're not tired!" Seth protested.

"I'm not," Kendra smirked.

"I'm bored!" Seth whined a few minutes later.

"Well then, let's stop and play checkers," Kendra said sarcastically,

"Yeah!" Seth plopped down and sighed.

"I was being sarcastic," Kendra rolled her eyes, "Now get up."

"Fine," Seth huffed as he got up, "Can we at least play a game well we're walking?"

"What game?" Kendra asked.

"How about would you rather?" Seth asked, "I would say through or dare, but no one seems to want to play that with me anymore,"

"I wonder why," Kendra asked.

Seth stuck out his tongue, "Bracken, you playing?"

"If you explain it," Bracken hopped over a stray log.

"Basically, I am going to ask a would you rather question," Seth explained, "And then you pick an answer from one of those options,"

"Seems simple enough," Bracken agreed.

"Would you rather be immortal but feel pain, or die eventually but never feel pain?" Seth asked.

"Immortal," Bracken said, "I am a prince after all,"

"And Kendra's your princess," Seth teased, "When are we going to the ball?"

Kendra rolled her eyes despite her slight blush, "Really Seth?"

"I always did want to be a prince-in-law, if that's a thing," Seth pondered.

"Maybe you'll end up a prince of the fair folk." Kendra teased, "You and Eve seemed to have gotten pretty close."

Seth had met Eve during a mission at Wyrmroost a few weeks ago. They actually had a lot in common if you looked close enough.

"Shut up, Kendra," Seth mumbled.

"Can I ask a question?" Bracken asked.

"Sure," Kendra smiled.

"Would you rather know how you will die or when you will die."

"Wow, that got dark," Seth joked.

"I would say when," Kendra said.

"I would say how," Seth said, "Because then I can just stay away from that object forever."

"But you don't want to cheat fate," Kendra warned, "Haven't you heard the stories of one who tries to cheat fate or death?"

"No," Seth said, "But it couldn't be that bad."

"Once upon a time," Kendra started, "There was a man named Sisyphus."

Seth laughed, "Wait, his name was Sisyphus?"

"Shush," Kendra scolded, "Sisyphus cheated death not once, but twice. The first time when Thanatos came to take him away he tricked the god into being chained. The second time when the god of death came back for him he told his wife to bury him with the incorrect rituals."

"Why would he ask that?" Seth asked, scrunching up his eyebrows.

Kendra kept going, "When he died, he talked with Hades. He said he was furious at his wife for giving him the incorrect rituals and asked for a day to haunt her in the mortal world. Hades accepted the deal, but when Sisyphus got back he ran off with his wife."

"Smart guy," Seth approved which Kendra ignored.

"When he came back the final time Hades was furious. He sentenced him to try to balance a boulder that could not be balanced for eternity. So every day for eternity, he walks up the hill to the top in agony only for the boulder to come back down on the other side."

"Still don't get how that connects to me," Seth said.

"You don't try to cheat death!" Kendra threw her hands up in the air for emphasis.

"How do you know all of that?" Bracken asked.

Kendra shrugged, "I like reading about history," she said.

"Or anything that has words," Seth teased.

Kendra shrugged, "That too," she smiled at her brother, "Would you rather look like a Chewbacca or be totally bald?"

"I would be bald," Seth said, "Then I could just wear a hairpiece."

"I have to go with Seth on this one," Bracken agreed, "Would you rather be in a dungeon for a hundred years or do the battle of the Zzyzx?"

"Battle of the Zzyzx," Seth said, "Dungeons are way too boring."

"I would probably do the dungeon," Kendra admitted, "The battle was pretty bad for me. Probably because both fo you got injured right away and I had to swoop in and save you. You guys just had to lay there and moan," she smiled victoriously as Seth and Bracken began to pout and protest.

"I had just slain two demons!" Seth huffed, "Of course I was a bit tired."

"I killed their leader without breaking a sweat," Kendra retorted.

"Come on Bracken, help me out," Seth turned to face the unicorn.

Bracken shrugged helplessly, "I can't really say anything," he admitted, "I don't really have anything good to back myself up, as much as I am loathed to admit it,"

"You are right about that," Kendra smiled, "Would you rather be scratched by a harpy claw or watch someone you love die?

"Harpy claw," everyone agreed.

"Would you rather be able to see five minutes into the future or be able to replay moments but you cannot change anything."

"I would do replay moments," Seth said, "Because then if I missed it the first time I would get to see it."

"I would want to see into the future," Bracken admitted, "Even if I can't change it."

"I have to go with past," Kendra said, "Only because I worry about how desperate I will get to change the future if I can see it?"

"Since when is Kendra so wise?" Seth teased.

Kendra rolled her eyes, "I just think things through," she defended.

"Would you rather bargain with Nero or go back home?" Bracken asked.

"Go home," Kendra said at the same time Seth said to bargain with Nero.

"Sorry Kens," Bracken said, "But we're here."

Sure enough, they had arrived at the ledge where the river troll awaits at the top. Luckily Ner had replaced the ladder back to the one anyone could use so they managed to climb up without much trouble.

"What do we have here?" Came the oily voice as the troll came out from behind a massive boulder.

"We have come to start a bargain!" Bracken announced.

"I take it you mean to use my seeing stone?" Nero purred, "Well a massage will not get you what you want this time."

Bracken looked at Kendra as if to say you are going to tell me this story later before turning back to face the troll, "We come with a fair price." He announced, confidence not wavering.

"And what have you brought me?" Nero asked.

Kendra showed him the contents of the bags, "20 opals, 30 diamonds, 5 emeralds along with thirty other uncut gems exactly."

"Exactly?" The troll confirmed.

"Exactly," Kendra agreed.

"And you give me permission to attack should you be lying, despite your protections of the treaty?" Nero asked.

Seth tried to open his mouth, for he had taken a gem, but Kendra wouldn't let him talk, "Now now, Seth." She hissed.

"But," he started.

"Sh," she said, "We accept your terms," she said to the troll.

"What do you need to know?" Nero asked smoothly, "I am to use the stone and this is not up for negotiations."

Bracken nodded, "As you wish," he bowed his head, "If you swear that none heard here will leave upon your honor."

"I swear," the troll confirmed.

"We wish to know the location of the princess of the fairy realm, Angelina," Bracken informed him.

"I will be back," the troll vanished behind a wall of boulders.

"Kendra, call off the deal," Seth hissed.

"No," she said, "Why would I need to?"

"Because" Seth started but didn't get to finish for the troll came back.

"Your princess is hidden at Titan Valley," The troll informed them, "Held captive underneath the dragon temple."

"Did you see anyone else?" Bracken pressed.

"No," Nero said, "It was hard to reach her. Many protections."

"Thank you," Bracken said respectfully.

"The gems?" Nero held out a massive scaly hand, which Kendra promptly put the sack into.

Seth desperately reaches into his pocket to pull out the missing gem, but his hand felt a hole in his pocket. The jewel had fallen out during the walk.

Seth tried to say something but was cut off by Nero's furious roar, "You cheated me!" He accused furiously.

Kendra was genuinely stunned and not without reason, "What do you mean?" She asked timidly.

"There is a gem missing," the troll accused.

"Lies!" Bracken accused, "Show me the jewels."

Nero held out the bag for the unicorn to inspect. Bracken rummaged through the bag, growing more desperate each time until he paled. A gem was indeed missing because of one boy who wanted a video game.

"You cheated me!" The troll roared as he pulled out a massive sword, "You gave up all of your protections should this happen! I am within my rights to slay you!"

"Fight me!" Seth cried, "This is my fault, not theirs!"

"No!" Kendra cried, "Have mercy! We will find the jewel within minutes if you allow us the time to do so!"

"No!" The troll roared, "I shall kill all three of you!"

"No!" Seth cried, "Within my rights as a shadow charmer, I call a negotiation! Battle me in three midnight time right here, same time!"

"Seth, stop!" Bracken tried to order, but Seth ignored him.

"Shall you win, you will get double that you asked for! Shall o best you, you let us all go with our protections."

The troll nodded thoughtfully and slipped his sword back, "I accept young shadow charmer, I will see you in three midnights."

And the troll vanished behind the rock. Seth turned to face his companions, hoping off the best but they didn't look too happy.

"Guys, I'm so," he started but didn't get to finish before Kendra slapped him. Hard.

"Ow!" Seth rubbed his cheek, "But I suppose I deserved that." He admitted.

"Darn right you did," Kendra huffed, "Are you crazy! He's going to kill you!"

"We'll worry about that later," Seth said at last, "Right now, we are going to Titan valley," he turned to Bracken, "your sister better be worth it Dude,"

Bracken glared at him, "She is, but I am still mad that you did that."

"Fair enough," Seth rubbed his cheek, "Dang Kendra! I didn't know you could hit so hard!"

Kendra smirked, "I wasn't even trying that hard."

"Hate to break up this moment," Bracken stated, "But why was a gem missing in the first place?"

"Seth!" Kendra roared, "Why on earth would you take a gem in the first place!" She probably would have slapped him again in Bracken's hands stopped her.

"Calm down, Kendra," he soothed.

"I may have wanted a gem to buy a video game," Seth flinched, "Grandpa took the one I had before."

"You just doomed yourself for a video game?!" Kendra threw her hands up in the air, "What do you think grandpa is going to say about this!"

"Could you keep it a secret?" Seth pleaded.

"And now you're asking even more of me," Kendra huffed.

"It might actually be best to keep it a secret for now," Bracken agreed.

"Fine," Kendra said, "Why would you do this Seth?"

"I didn't know this would happen!" He apologized honestly.

"I bet you took it when you hugged me," Kendra's voice cracked, "I should have known," she slumped defeatedly as Bracken caught her ina comforting hug from behind.

Seth had never felt so guilty in his life, but he had no idea how to fix it. He did want to say he meant the hug, but he had indeed done it so he could take the gem.

"We should head back," Bracken suggested.

Kendra nodded, "Let's go."

"Come on Seth," Bracken said as he turned back towards the cliff, leaving Seth to follow them from behind.

"You managed to talk to Nero without trouble?" Grandpa Sorenson confirmed.

* * *

Bracken looked at Seth quickly before nodding, "He said she is at Titan Valley, underneath the dragon temple."

"How do you plan to get there?" Warren inquired, "I know if it was just you and Kendra you could go through the fairy shrine, but you have Seth with you."

"I asked Raxtus to come," Kendra spoke up, "He said he'll be here in about a half-hour if he goes through the shrine, which he is allowed to do."

"Are you sure you three should go alone?" Grandma Sorenson asked, "You can't bring anyone else with you?"

"Raxtus can only carry three people," Bracken informed regretfully, "And we are the best team for the job according to the fairy queen."

"And there is nothing we can do?" Vanessa asked.

"Just stay safe," Kendra smiled, "Give us a reason to come back."

"And Bracken will protect you both?" Vanessa confirmed.

Bracken nodded, "I swear that I will protect them both upon my honor as a unicorn."

"Not that your honor is worth much," Vanessa muttered under her breath, "Unicorns always think they are the cheater of the world,"

Bracken stood up sharply, "I beg your pardon," he growled.

Kendra gently pulled him down, "Let it go," she soothed him, "Let it go."

"The cold never bothered me anyway!" Warren sang so off-key he caused everyone to flinch.

"Warren," Dale started, "I love you bro, but please stop singing."

Warren pouted, "I happen to think I am a very good singer." He huffed, "I bet my singing could cause people to cry."

"Out in pain," Kendra finished causing everyone but Seth to laugh. He had been a little strange since they got home, knowing this was all temporary for him, because the day Angelina's time ran out, was the day he died at the hand of a troll.


	5. Angelina l

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little crazy with MY characters. Kidding. I don’t own Fablehaven. Though I wasn’t kidding about the crazy part.... be sure to let out your anger at the hen cliffhanger in a comment!

Angelina laughed at her human friend's face, almost chasing the milk she had been drinking to shoot out of her nose in the process.

Kali laughed, "It's so easy to amuse you," she teased.

Angelina rolled her eyes, "Nice to see you care."

"I'm sorry for not treating you like you're a princess," Kali rolled her eyes. Oh, if only she knew half of it, but alas she could not tell a mortal her secret.

The fairy queen was probably already furious at Angelina for leaving without permission, but the fairy realm was so boring to Angelina and all she wanted to do was see her friend.

"How's your brother doing?" Angelina asked.

"John is doing alright," she answered, "He is planning to go to college in a few weeks. College is where you get some of the most important parts of your education."

Angelina smiled, her friend knew she was a unicorn and a bit behind on the modern world, but Kali never asked questions or treated her strangely.

"What do you want to do today?" Kali asked, "We could just wander around the preserve for a bit, go for a nice walk."

"That sounds nice," Angelina agreed.

Kali smiled, "Come on," she pulled Angelina's hand towards the door, "I'm itching for a walk too."

Angelina gave up to her touch and allowed her to lead her through the gardens. Kali rambled about the most random things but Angelina didn't mind. If Kali did most of the talking, she wouldn't need to use her terrible social skills.

They were better than the average unicorns, she could probably hold a conversation for a bit, something almost impossible for other unicorns but that doesn't mean she was a sizing at it either.

"What about you?" Kali asked, "What's been going on with you?"

"Nothing much," Angelina thought up lamely. She hated lying to her friend, but it was for her protection so that softened the guilt a bit.

"Huh," Kali said, "I've never seen this flower before."

Kali kneeled to inspect a pitch-black flower, about the size of her hand. Angelina didn't realize what the floor was until it was too late.

"Wait!" Angelina cried, "Don't touch it!"

"Why?" Kali took a step back, "Is it poisonous?"

"Yes," Angelina lied, "Very poisonous,"

Horror passed over Kali's face, "We better get back to the house then and get some ointment," she said, "Because I touched it."

Suddenly, a black void appeared over the floor. Angelina was right, this was a portal flower that only needs to be touched to be opened.

Kali screamed as a mysterious man walked out of the portal.

"Angelina," the man boomed, "Princess of the fairy realm, you have been requested to speak with my master. Come peacefully and no one will get hurt."

Kali looked at Angelina, her face one as if she was betrayed, "Princess of the fairy realm?" She whimpered, "Angie, why didn't you tell me?"

"Come peacefully and no one will get hurt," the man repeated.

"No!" Kali cried, "Angie isn't going anywhere with the likes of you!" Kali reached for the dagger she kept in her boot but never got to finish pulling it out.

For in one swift movement, the man's dagger hit its target first.

"No!" Angelina reached for her horns in the hope to heal her friends and collapsed next to her friend's body, as her breath started slowing.

"Run Angie!" Kali rasped, "Run!"

"No!" Angelina cried, "I won't leave you!"

"Run," Kali repeated slowly, "Run Angie," and her eyes went slack. The velvet sweater was green.

* * *

Angelina slowly tried to open her eyes, despite the pain it caused her. Her ribs ache but nothing seemed to be life-threatening besides, she could heal her ribs within a minute if she had one of her horns.

Horns! She quickly looked down at her waist and let down a sigh of relief. She still had all three of her horns along the strap on her waist. It would have been hard to steal them, but she was still grateful she hadn't lost them.

Angelina quickly took in her surroundings. She was in a small suite, nothing like something in her caste but nice enough. Except for the walls of the room were glass, and someone was on the other side. Watching her.

She slipped a horn between her fingers and pressed it to her ribs, ignoring the strange man behind the glass. She sighed as the light passed warmly through her body, healing injuries she hadn't even seen from wherever she got them.

She walked around the room and stopped at a mirror. Her chestnut hair was in knots and her dress slashed in quite a few places. But her glow was a little dimmed.

She never shone as bright as a fairykind, but she had also never been this dim. Was this how it felt to be mortal? Do you always feel your power weakening?

Oh, how she longed to be back in her unicorn form. But she already knew the room suppressed such magic.

How did she get here? She wondered. All Angelina remembered was she was hanging out with her friend Kali on a walk and,

Angelina paused as the tears threatened to overtake her. Her friends hadn't survived the attack and that was all she had seen before she was knocked unconscious. Leading her to where she was now.

Despite the healing energy passing through her, she still felt weak. She had never been away from the shrine so long before or this far. She had no idea where she was anymore, besides being in a glass room with a man watching her.

The man was coming into the room, with three identical old women behind him. Angelina pulled out her horn and quickly shifted it into a sword.

She doubted she would be able to take out the man or even the three old women in her current state, but she would never give the man the satisfaction of her being powerless.

"The master wishes to see you," the man said.

"The master?" Angelina asked questionably.

"The master!" The three women sang, "The master!"

"And if I refuse?" Angelina asked.

"There isn't an option for that," the man said simply, "Come along now princess. I do hope you do not expect royal treatment, because you are of no royalty here."

"I won't come," Angelina spat, "Leave me alone."

The man nodded to three old women who sang a terrible note in perfect harmony.

Angelina started to float ungracefully through the air towards the three old women who were still singing their terrible, terrible song.

Despite her fights, Angelina remained in the spell. The man led them down a long, dark stone hallway. The comfort of the suite was now only a distant memory. Not that she would have chosen to stay in the suite, she would much rather be back in the fairy realm.

The woman remained still in their terrible song, keeping the princess trapped within their grasp.

She did not think they wanted her dead, if they did they would have killed her already. She searched her memory for any idea of who this master could be but found nothing.

If only she had paid more attention to Jade's lectures. Nah.

They walked for what could have been an eternity, but in reality, was twenty minutes. Angelina watched as the hallway started to end, revealing a pair of blood-red doors elegantly carved. Some carvings in the fairy realm could not compare to this pure, raw talent manifested into two single doors.

One of the women broke the tune to sing a grave note before returning to the song that binder Angelina. The door slowly opened as it repeated the tune of which the women had just played.

Angelina was led through the door before the song broke and the women positioned themselves outside the door and the man stayed with her. Angelina desperately tried to run through the door before it closed but failed.

She and the man were now trapped in a pitch-black room. A cold hand circled her wrist and led her through the room, of which Angelina had no choice but to blindly follow.

The cold hand stopped leading her and dropped her hand as if it was a hot coal. Angelina could feel his presence vanish leaving her all alone, or so she thought.

A single candle flicked on in the dark but somehow filled the whole room with its light, revealing a beautiful room. Even better than the suite she had just been in or even some rooms in the castle.

But a single presence threatened to spoil the beautiful room. The presence of one of her least favorite people.

"Ronodin," she practically snarled.

The dark unicorn spread out his arms, "Is that how you greet your cousin, and I thought I was a dark unicorn?" He smiled charmingly, "Not feeling the love here."

"What are you doing with me?" She asked, "Come to plead guilty and throw yourself at the mercy of my mother?"

Ronodin laughed, "I'm afraid not," he informed her, "Some of my knowledge has vanished with these long years, and I hope for you to renew it."

"Your kidding," Angelina raised an eyebrow.

Ronodin gestured to his variety of plush chairs, "Please," he said, "Why don't you have a seat? Would you like a drink or a bite to eat? I bet those barbarians haven't fed you yet. Ah, good help is good to find these days."

Angelina didn't move.

"Let me rephrase that," Ronodin snapped his fingers, and Angelina was caught in the spell yet again and plopped into a chair. A glass floated over and filled with a bright red drink.

"I don't drink blood," she deadpanned.

Ronodin looked at her horrified, "What do you take me for? A barbarian? It's cranberry juice."

Angelina regarded her cousin, "Why should I help you?" She said finally after taking a quick swing of the juice before placing the glass on the table.

Ronodin clapped, "Not much of one for small talk are we?"

Angelina raised her eyebrows, "I see you haven't changed much over the years."

Ronodin shrugged, "Why change when everything is alright."

"And yet you still mourn your parents' death," Angelina taunted. She knew she had hit a soft spot on the unicorn, she did feel a bit guilty though. She had enjoyed her aunt and uncle before they passed on.

Ronodin paused, "Tell me how I can get to the fairy realm," he took a sip of his drink.

"No," Angelina deadpanned.

Ronodin sighed and traced the rim of his glass, "Must we do this the hard way?" He sighed.

"You could just let me go," Angelina suggested.

Ronodin threw back his head and laughed, "If only," he said, "I guess I will just have to wait for your brother to get here." Now it was his turn for a low blow.

Angelina looked like she had been punched in the gut. Ronodin smiled at her discomfort.

"Yes, I believe he is only his way now," Ronodin's aid thoughtfully, "Coming with the shadow charmer and the fairykind."

Angelina remembered mention of the fairykind from the fairy realm. According to some rumors, her brother even fancied her. The shadow charmer was also her brother, but that was all she truly remembered. What had her attention was the mention of her brother.

"He won't come," she said, knowing it was a lie.

"Oh, but he is," Ronodin flashed his signature smile, "I bet it won't take much to get the info out of you then, would it?"

"He won't come," Angelina repeated.

"Oh?" Ronodin clarified, "Well, you will find out more in a bit. How have you been doing?"

"Besides being captured, I'm alright," Angelina said sarcastically.

Ronodin smiled, "Glad to hear it,"

Angelina raised an eyebrow.

Ronodin shrugged helplessly, "I'm not, but I'm trying to be polite. I've been good, thank you for asking."

Angelina laughed, "What happened to you cousin?" She asked out of nowhere,

Ronodin lifted his glass and shattered it on the floor. He chanted as the shards of glass levitated and formed an image, mixing with the blood-red drink.

The drink swirled and the glass shattered more and mixed, forming an image.

Her brother and two others were riding on a dragon, flying confidently. The image changed and now her brother was in the suite, searching for clues.

The image changed again, revealing her brother fighting the three women as they sang a terrible song, attempting to trap her brother and his companions, also known as Kendra and Seth.

The image shattered on the floor, for the next image was a reality.

The door to the room she was in now burst open to reveal her frantic brother.

"Angelina!" He cried, "Come on!"

Angelina made no hesitation to run towards her brother, but Ronodin was not done with them.

Her cousin charged her brother, both having swords at the ready. Kendra and Seth were still battling the three old women and Angelina ran to help to even out the odds.

She didn't know how long the battle went on, but she fountainhead to fight the old woman she had been paired with.

Angelina descended her sword upon the old woman, hoping for a direct hit. The woman sang one of the highest notes that Angelina had ever heard, causing Angelina to pause. She couldn't move and the woman was walking towards her.

She braced herself for the blow the woman would deliver but it never came.

Suddenly, the woman sprang away from her to rejoin the others.

The women sang a terrible note and caused a long, sharp staff to appear in their hands. The song continued as the staff levitated, heading straight for Seth, who had yet to notice and was now fighting the strange man alone.

Angelina watched helplessly as the staff started heading towards the shadow charmer at an alarming rate. She braced herself to watch the spear hit his flesh, but something clouded her thoughts.

She watched as the light started shining brighter and brighter, straight from Kendra. Kendra jumped in front of her brother and allowed the spear to pierce her skin.


	6. Kendra lll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dodges objects* I know! I left you with a cliffhanger, sorry, but also not. ALSO i’m Going to make you wait to find out what happens next. *evil grin* That’s right! You gonna have to wait! Ha ha ha ha! I know what happens, but you don’t!
> 
> I have now gone through 20 genies, but I still do not own Fablehaven.
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr: naosa

_2 days earlier, 2 days until Angelina's time runs out._

Kendra and Seth had barely talked since they visited Nero. At dinner, Kendra may have talked to everyone, but she wasn't talking to Seth. It wasn't like he was talking to her either, or anyone at that. He knew what he had done and what awaited him.

She knew she had overreacted a little bit, but she couldn't help it. Her brother had volunteered to get himself killed, and all for a video game.

She told herself that was the real reason she was mad at him, but that wasn't the full truth. As much as she was mad at him for that, she was sad about the fact of how he had gotten the diamond.

Her brother was never a big fan of hugs or anything like that, so when he had hugged her, she thought he meant it and it warmed her heart. But to find it was to rob her, broke it.

She didn't know where she would be right now if it wasn't for Bracken. He had been checking in on her for the duration of dinner and the time leading up to now. She didn't know what she was crying about, except for the fact that she needed to cry.

Bracken was more than happy to give her a shoulder to cry on.

And one time, he cried on her. Kendra had never seen Bracken so sad, his sister meant a lot to him. For this was the only time she had ever seen him cry or show so much emotion.

Right now, they were flying through the sky on Raxtus. Seth on the front, Bracken in the middle and Kendra on the back. They had taken to using this order ever since that one time when they went to Inter Flumina, but that is another story.

Kendra hated and loved flying at the same time. She loved the sensation of flying, she just preferred it under safer circumstances. She trusted Raxtus with her life, as he had saved her many times before, but that didn't help much.

Instead, she kept her arms tightly wrapped around Bracken, clinging as if her life depended on it.

The flight had been peaceful so far. It was going to be about a two hour flight to reach the Titan valley, where the princess was being held. According to Nero, she was hidden underneath a dragon temple.

"Hey Bracken," Kendra ventured, "What is the big deal about the dragon temples?"

"There are three dragon temples," Bracken explained, "Each holds an object that helps someone control dragons, they are how we got dragons into sanctuaries in the first place."

"Why don't we just keep the artifacts with us at all times?" Kendra asked.

"Using the artifacts is an act of war," Bracken explained, "We definitely wouldn't want to risk that, especially since Dragonwatch hasn't been the strongest lately. Can you imagine going against the dragons and Celebrant in a war?"

"That would not be fun," Kendra agreed, "I can see why we wouldn't want to steal the artifacts."

"Titan valley is an interesting preserve," Bracken continued, "The caretaker is the Giant queen, we will have to be careful to avoid her."

"How powerful is she?" Kendra asked.

"Very," Bracken informed regretfully, "We don't want to get captured."

"Would Seth have any authority over them?" Kendra asked hopefully, "I mean, he can talk with both demons and the undead."

Bracken shook his head, "A shadow charmer would have no power over her subjects, unless Seth says otherwise which I highly think is unlikely."

Kendra didn't ask Seth for confirmation.

"Have you heard anything from the fairy queen?" Kendra inquired.

"Nothing important," Bracken dismissed the topic. Kendra didn't push him, but she did th8nj he was hiding something.

They flew in silence for a while, listening to the thump of Raxtus's wings in perfect rhythm.

Thump. Thump. Thump they went.

They made it one and a half hours before they got attacked. Then again, how could they not?

It started like this.

Kendra risked a glance backwards, praying she wouldn't have a panic attack well she did it. She hoped to see the limitless blue sky, but alas she was wrong.

They were flying some haha this close to the ground, for it was easier for Raxtus. Maybe thirty feet off the ground and unfortunately, that's exactly how tall the giant was.

Kendra screamed.

The giant was frightening, so her action made sense. The giant was male, about 30 feet tall and wearing an animal pelt as shorts and a t-shirt. Kendra did not want to know what animal that once was.

His face was as if it was squished together with clay with only a few tools. Not ugly but yet not handsome either. But worse if all, he was coming straight towards them.

"Raxtus!" Kendra yelled over the roaring wind, "We're being followed!"

"By who?" Came the response.

"A freaking giant, that's what!" Seth yelled, speaking for the first time so far.

Bracken shot his head around to look at their follower and his eyes instantly widened, "No," he said, "It can't be."

"Can't be who?" Kendra yelled.

"Taghetti," Bracken cursed, "I should have known! We shouldn't have taken that shortcut through the mountains, I was just so worried…"

"About Angelina?" Kendra said consingly, doing her best to forget about their pursuer to comfort him.

Bracken slowly nodded but quickly shook off the emotion, "Raxtus fall back," he ordered.

"Are you crazy!" Kendra exclaimed as they started to fall back, "We should not go towards that thing! We should go the other way!"

"Yeah," Seth agreed timidly, his voice raspy from the non-usage.

Bracken shook his head, "We need to get him out as soon as possible. He will catch us either way, let us have the element of surprise."

"Bracken, what are you going to do!" Kendra worried.

"I'll be fine," he assured her, but Kendra knew he could be lying.

"Promise you won't go after me," Bracken said.

"After you!" Kendra exclaimed, "Bracken, what are you doing!"

"We're over his head now," Raxtus reported, "I can't go any higher!"

Bracken nodded, "Keep them safe," he said and he leapt off the fairy dragon, landing straight into the giants waiting hand. Kendra knew he had not meant for that to happen, even though he had not told her his plan.

Kendra didn't realize she was screaming until Seth clamped a hand over her mouth, "We're going after him," Seth said.

Kendra nodded, surprised at her brother's forwardness. Not that she forgave him yet.

"Raxtus, be ready to take us out." Seth ordered.

"Got it," Raxtus agreed.

And Kendra," Seth said, "I'm sorry. For everything."

Kendra gave no response, but they both leapt off the fairy dragon, desperate to save their friend before he got himself killed.

* * *

They didn't have the upper hand to say the least. They indeed also fell into the giant's hand where they were promptly put into a sack that had been on the giants belt.

Raxtus managed to get away, using his invisible scales to make his getaway. The others had again, not been so lucky.

* * *

"I told you not to come after me!" Bracken huffed, "Now we're all trapped!"

"You didn't expect me to just leave you there!" Kendra protested, "We both know you would have jumped after us and please get your foot out of my face!"

"Little hard to move right now," Bracken retorted.

"Will Raxtus come after us?" Kendra asked hopefully.

Bracken shook his head, "If he is smart, which he is, he would have left to go get help."

Kendra slumped, "What are we going to do now?" She asked.

Bracken sighed, "I honestly have no idea," he admitted, "Hey Seth, do you have any ideas?"

Seth didn't answer.

"Who is this guy anyway?" Kendra asked, "You related him like he was the devil himself or something. Is he some giant you have a history with or something?"

Bracken sighed, "Taghetti is one of the most powerful giants in history. He is also one of the giant queen's many sons, granting him authority. I hear the mortals have a story about him, do you know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk?"

Kendra nodded, "But in that story the giant dies." She cocked her head and scrambled to get in a better position.

"They edited the story for younger readers," Bracken explained, "In the real story, Taghetti eats Jack and steals the harp back. He then also kills Jack's whole village as a warning to the other humans."

Kendra gulped, "Lovely."

Bracken chuckled, "I do like your story better," he suggested, "Less death."

"Do you think that's what he is going to do to us?" Kendra asked timidly.

Bracken shook his head, "I'm guessing he is doing this under orders, though I do not know who from," his voice lowered, "He's not very smart."

Kendra nodded in understanding, "And you don't know who ordered him?"

Bracken spoke quietly, "There are only a few people who can order him around. One of which I bet you can guess."

"The giant queen?" Kendra guessed.

"That's one," Bracken agreed, "Others would probably be people he indebted to or something like that, which I hope is more likely."

"Is there a way we can escape?" Kendra asked hopefully.

"I don't think so," Bracken examined their surroundings, "We're just going to have to wait and see where we end up going."

"Are you alright Seth?" Kendra asked.

"Yes," came the response.

Kendra turned back to Bracken, "What do you know about the giant queen?"

"She's large," Bracken started, "Powerful. She loved a good bargain or game. She has many children, maybe twenty all together. Her current king is a ruthless giant named Garland."

"Current king?" Kendra asked, "What happened to the others?"

"She killed them," Bracken all but dead-panned.

"Any weaknesses?" Kendra asked, trying to erase Bracken's last comment from her mind.

"Not anything big," He said, "She loves to be polite though, barely does anything rude. Also like I said before, she loves games."

"Like checkers?" Kendra asked.

Bracken gave her a small smile, almost unseeable in their space that lacked light, "Arena games. Fights to death, that kind of thing."

Kendra desperately wished he would take it back, but Bracken was not one to lie.

"What should we do?" Kendra asked softly.

"Let me take the lead," he said, "I don't know much about the circumstances or why we are here, but I am our best bet at survival."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Kendra said, "I am not good at that kind of thing."

"Don't underestimate yourself," Bracken said gently.

"We stopped," Kendra said suddenly as they did indeed stop.

"What do you think it means?" Seth whispered, joining the conversation.

Bracken gulped, "I guess we're about to find out."

And with that, the sack slowly opened, allowing the light to fill the sack.


	7. Seth lll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliffhangers! But you my friend, get another chapter! Let’s get Seth in here for a bit, not that I don’t love you MY Kendra!
> 
> Brandon Mull: Glares At me.
> 
> Me: Fiiiiiiiiiiine. Fablehaven is his. But I still rock :p
> 
> Now on with the story!
> 
> Come check me out on fanfiction for more stories: NaoSa

Seth would never admit this out loud, but he missed his sister.

They had barely talked since the whole Nero ordeal, and Seth hated every minute anymore. He wouldn't let himself believe this, but did his sister still care about him? Even if not, he did deserve it. It wasn't like he would live much longer anyway.

Now here they were, getting pulled out of the sack by Taghetti. They were crudely dumped on a rock.

"What is he doing?" Seth whispered, "He just dumped us on a rock."

"Should we try and run away?" Kendra suggested.

"Stay," the giant boomed, "Stay or crush you."

Bracken gulped, "I guess we're staying."

Taghetti beamed, "Momma be so proud of me."

"So it was the giant queen!" Kendra concluded, "I wonder why she wants us. I mean, we are powerful opponents but we weren't threatening her. We're we?"

Bracken shook his head, "We never threatened her. I have no idea what she plans to do with us."

"Momma smart," the giant said proudly, "Mama loves me,"

"Just play along," Bracken muttered to them, "Mama says you make a big mistake."

"Mistake?" Taghetti boomed, "What mistake?"

"You were supposed to set us free and keep us safe," Kendra caught on, "Not capture us," Kendra coughed, "Mama very mad."

"Mad?" The giant worried, "Mama mad?"

Bracken nodded vigorously, "Mama very mad. Mama said to let us go,"

"Don't fall for it," Said a loud voice from behind Kendra, Bracken, and Seth, "They are trying to trick you into letting them go."

Seth whipped around to see a tall female giant behind them. She was wearing a large pelt dress and had fire-red hair.

Taghetti fumed, "Trick me!" He pouted, "Very mean. Can I kill them?"

Seth froze.

The lady giant shook her head, "The giant queen wants them alive."

Taghetti pouted again, "No fun Kinderly, no fun."

The giant, Kinderly, shook her head. "I would like to kill them," she admitted, "Especially the unicorn," Kinderly glared at Bracken who visibly stiffened.

"Did you do something to them?" Seth whispered to Bracken.

Bracken played with his fingers, "I may have killed a giant about a thousand years ago," he admitted, "This is the other reason I hope we wouldn't run into giants. When you kill a giant, you are instantly marked with a mark that any giant can see."

"Kind of like a dragon slayer?" Kendra asked.

"Yes," Bracken said, "But no. This is a lot worse."

Taghetti sniffled, "Bob was a good friend."

Seth normally would crack up laughing, but he knew better. But seriously, a giant named bob? What could be better than that?

Unfortunately, a chuckle still made the way out of his mouth. Instantly, he clapped a hand over his mouth but the damage had already been done.

"You dare laugh!" Kinderly roared, as she snatched Seth up.

"Put him down!" Bracken cried, "He didn't mean it. I told him a funny joke and it was mistaken for a laugh about bob!"

"Maybe we should put him down," Taghetti pondered, "If it was an accident."

"Fool," Kinderly scolded, "They are lying to you again. I won't be so easily fooled as this idiotic excuse of a prince."

"Meanie," Taghetti pushed Kinderly, causing her to drop Seth in the process.

Luckily, Bracken had been waiting down below and was ready to catch him.

"You alright?" Bracken asked.

Seth nodded, "Come on!" He hopped out of Bracken's grip, "This is our chance to run!"

Kendra, Seth, and Bracken did indeed try to escape. They made it about a hundred feet before they were caught.

* * *

Seth opened his eyes slowly, despite the pain that came with it.

He was trapped, but he could not see where. He had enough room to walk around, but not much else. The wall was full of holes of which light was peeking through, almost like a strainer. He was not alone though.

To his right, he saw his sister and Bracken slumped against the wall. Seth went over to check their pulse. They were breathing very lightly but also unconscious. He was alone for now.

He tried to shadow walk, but it only made his head pound. There was some kind of magic blocking it and of that he was certain. How they managed to do that, Seth had no idea. All he did know was he couldn't get out. And the walls were immovable if there was even a chance they were movable at all. For all he knew, they could be under a kitchen strainer.

He sighed as he sat back against the wall. How could things get any worse? His sister wasn't speaking to him, they were captured by giants, and who knows what else!

Kendra and Bracken started to stair and Seth let out a sigh of relief. He had indeed checked their pulse, but he was still worried about them. It took them about five minutes to regain awareness, Seth guessed. Only five minutes too long.

"What happened?" Kendra moaned, rubbing her head.

Bracken recovered his senses faster and even had an answer for her, "We didn't make it," he said mournfully, "They caught us."

"What are we going to do?" Seth asked.

"Can you shadow walk out of here?" Bracken asked.

Seth shook his head, "Something is preventing me from doing so," he admitted, "Believe, me I tried."

"So you were going to leave us here?" Kendra asked.

Seth's heart sunk, " I was g-going to get help." He stammered, he was not helping his and Kendra's relationship right now.

"Any other ideas?" Kendra asked, ignoring her brother's justification.

"I got nothing," Bracken admitted, "Do you have anything?"

Kendra shook her head, "I have no idea," she admitted, "But I would rather not just sit here and wait for the giants to come and kill us."

"I second that," Seth joked, but Kendra ignored him, sending a cold shiver down his spine. Dang, that girl could be cold.

"Well that's too bad for you," a voice said from above them. Slowly, the walls were lifted. They were revealed to be standing on a platform in the middle of a giant room. In front of them, lay a massive throne with a massive queen.

The queen herself was at least 50 feet. She was covered in the finest silks and had long black hair flowing down her back. And resting on her head was a massive crown, not one to be laughed at. Seth could practically feel the power booming from the crown.

It seemed to be yell beware and seemed to hold a terror as if the person was large, which the queen was.

Seth watched as Bracken immediately fell to his knees and bowed his head in a respective matter. Putting their trust in their unicorn friend, Kendra and Seth followed. Mimicking the respectful gesture to the queen.

"Your majesty," Bracken said respectfully.

"You," the giant queen seethed, "Have performed a slaying."

Bracken's head dipped lower shamefully, "And I regret it to this very day," he said gravely, "We request safe passage and our release. We are to rescue an important creature of light, ordered by the fairy queen herself."

The giant queen laughed darkly, "If I wanted you free, why would I have captured you?" She said.

Seth had to admit she had good logic behind her. I mean, who would capture someone just to release them again? That wouldn't make much sense in his opinion.

"I would typically let you go," the queen pondered, "Your companions, I mean. But I am afraid I am in desperate need of entertainment."

Seth paled, she didn't mean what he was thinking, did she?

"Your majesty," Bracken pleaded, "Take me, but at least let these two go."

"Bracken, no!" Kendra cried.

"I'm afraid the gesture is in vain," she faked sadness, "All three of you will be joining my arena. I will take no other answer."

"Please!" Kendra cried, "Have mercy!"

For a minute, the giant queen almost looked tempted to listen to Kendra's hopeless words. But the moment it flickered across her massive face, it was gone.

"Prepare them for the arena!" She boomed, "Let us see how entertaining they can be before they die!"

* * *

They were thrown crudely into what Seth believed was a dungeon. It looked like any other dungeon but was probably like a mouse maze to the giants.

Kendra had cried the whole way to the dungeon and Seth would be lying if he said his eyes had stayed dry. Bracken's face was deprived of any emotion and a ghostly pale. Seth knew unicorns felt different than humans, but he knew this was one emotion they had in common.

Cameras were looking in on them from eight different angles, allowing almost no privacy to discuss anything. But it wasn't like there was much to discuss, for they were hopelessly trapped.

The room was about the size of the attic, and the walls and floor were both made out of stone. They had but three small cots as furniture and nothing else. They were fairly comfortable and came with a small sleeping bag, but they brought no warmth.

Kendra was practically sobbing in the corner, though her tears began to slow within time. Seth wanted more than anything to comfort her, but he knew he was not welcome. Not now.

Bracken still hadn't said a word. He just stared blankly into space, something he rarely did. To Seth, he looked so defeated he wanted to cry. He had never seen the unicorn so… empty.

After what seemed like hours Seth noticed that a few meal mats had appeared on the cots. On each mat sat a full meal, something that genuinely surprised Seth.

Had they gone out of their way to get them better food? Or did they just want their contestants to be at full strength? Seth did his best to believe it was the first option.

Seth instantly devoured his meal. Kendra and Bracken only took a few nibbles of the food before giving up on trying to eat anymore. They pushed their platters away, careful not to spill them in case they needed the food later.

"Excuse me," came a voice from behind them, "Are you going to eat that?"


	8. Seth lV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sue me, this is a bit inspired by the hunger games. But please don’t sue me Brandon Mull! I do not own this *pathetically hides behind desk*
> 
> Also, I’m all caught up cross-posting this story on here! It is not over, definitely not, but you will have to wait for the next chapter. ;p
> 
> I have no schedule, but it shouldn’t be too long! I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think of my OC! Yes she is strange, but I like her. Don’t forget to comment! Please, I’m desperate and you will get an update soon! Don’t forget to check out my fanficiton and tumblr if you want more Fablehaven! It may take a while for me to cross post all my stuff here.

Seth whipped around, to see a woman behind them.

"Don't worry," she assured them, "I already took out the security cameras. They will have no idea I am here."

Seth eyes her suspiciously. The woman was wearing a long tiger pelt as a dress that went to just below her knees and had long blonde hair that went down to her waist, quite possibly longer. She had a wild beauty to her, but not something most people may find attractive.

In addition to that, she looked to be about thirty years old, but it was hard to tell with the magical world. Bracken was after all, thousands of years old.

"Who are you?" Seth did his best to sound manly, but it came out more as a squeak.

She smiled coyly at him, "A friend. Thought I'd welcome you to the community. Call me Lilliana, if you want to call me anything at all."

"And how do we know we can trust you?" Bracken asked, speaking up for the first time.

"You don't," she said, "But I will allow you limited access to check through my mind, would that make you trust me unicorn?"

Bracken considered this, "Limited access?"

"You don't expect a stranger like you to come poking through my mind?" She retorted, "Final offer, or you can just try and survive the arena without my advice. See how you do."

Seth had to admire her stubbornness, not anyone could talk to Bracken like that with so much confidence. Or talk to anyone like that really.

"Fine," Bracken said coldly, "Give me your hand."

"I'm taken already," she smiled tauntingly.

Bracken sputtered, "Not what I meant." He managed to get out.

Lilliana smirked satisfied and put out her hand to shake Bracken's like she had promised. Bracken started into her eyes, as if he was reading her very soul, which you could say he was. She held his gaze confidently. Almost too confidently, in Seth's opinion. Bracken released her hand after what seemed like centuries.

"She means us no harm," Bracken informed them and Seth let out a sigh of relief along with Kendra, who had yet to say anything at all, though her eyes were still slightly puffy.

"Was there ever any doubt?" She purred.

"You said you have information," Bracken pushed, "What kind of information are we talking about?"

"Rude," Lilliana walked to the other side of the cell, "I guess I am not appreciated here. I will go now, goodbye." She walked towards a hole in the wall, which Seth hadn't noticed before. He guessed there was a boulder on the other side and maybe some kind of magical reinforcement, but he didn't know for sure.

"Wait," Kendra said timidly, her voice cracking, "Please. Tell us what you know."

A strange fondness entered Lilliana's eyes, "Of course, my child." She said, "Do you mind if I sit down?"

Kendra shook her head, "Please. Have a seat."

Lilliana complied, "So what do you want to know? The queen? The games? Me?"

"Whatever you can tell us," Seth spoke up.

She sniffled.

"Please," Seth added.

She smiled, "Welcome to the dungeon!" She spread out her arms welcomely.

Seth snorted, but she ignored him. "The giant queen hosts games for her amusement," she started, "Two go in and one comes out. If you can imagine, she goes through people quickly so she can only host the games every other day."

"Every other day!" Seth choked, "Only?"

"If she had it her way," Lilliana started, "The games would be three times a day. Would you rather have that happen?"

"No," Seth stammered, "Sorry."

"You are often allowed a weapon," she continued, "But you will only get it once you enter the arena and you will have it taken from you after the battle, should you win. There are no rules in the arena, her majesty thinks it's better that way."

"Is there any way out?" Bracken blurted out.

Lilliana gave a sad smile, "No one has ever successfully escaped with their head, but everyone down here knows the rhyme."

"The rhyme?" Seth asked, "What rhyme?"

"It's been floating around this dungeon ever since it opened," Lilliana explained, "Shall I relay it for you? No one has ever solved it of course, it wouldn't be much help."

"We will hear it," Seth confirmed.

Lilliana's eyes twinkled, "So be it. You have found yourself in the giant queen's wrath. Forced to join her battles to the death. Try to escape, you shall always fail. Unless led out by her tail."

"That's it?" Bracken asked, "I mean, I know you said it was vague, but that is it?"

"Yes," Lilliana said, "Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"Yes," Bracken said, "Who are you?"

"And why would you wish to know about, little old me?" Lilliana asked, "Aren't I just some woman you found in the dungeon?"

"Could we forge an alliance?" Seth asked hopefully.

"No," Lilliana dead-panned, sending shiver up Seth's spine, "But I will go easy on you and prepare you for the arena."

"Better than nothing," Bracken muttered.

"It is," Lilliana agreed, "Maybe I'll change my mind if you tell me a but about yourselves. My alliance doesn't come lightly.

"We'll tell you our story," Seth said, "If you tell us yours first."

"Fine," Lilliana said, "My name is Lilliana."

"We know that," Seth snorted.

She ignored him, "I lived in a peaceful village in Titan valley. The giant queen ignored us for a while until she required our entertainment." The last April Seth could tell was under exaggerated.

"Do you have any family?" Kendra asked softly.

"A wife and 2 kids," she said, "Adopted of course."

"I'm Seth," he introduced, "Shadow charmer. The guy with silver hair is a unicorn and that is Kendra, she is fairystruck." Seth knew better than to reveal his sister's true power.

"Nice try," she said, "Your sister is fairykind."

Bracken looked stunned, "How do you know that?" He asked.

Lilliana shrugged, "She shines."

"You're good," Seth admitted, "Not many people can see Kenda's shine, including me. Bracken says she shines like a beacon."

"An understatement," Lilliana said, "But yes, I suppose you could call it that."

"What are you?" Seth blurted out, hoping it didn't come off as rude. Man, this lady was a little scary sometimes.

She held his gaze, "I cannot tell you till you see it in the arena," was all she said.

"Any tips for the arena?" Seth asked hopefully.

"Yes," she said, "Don't die."

"Just like the hunger games," Kendra muttered under her breath.

Lilliana heard Kendra's mutter and chose to respond, "And May the odds be ever in your favor," she bowed dramatically.

Kendra started to laugh, and the twinkling bells filled the room. Before long Seth had joined her in the laugh and Even Bracken allowed a small chuckle, though he had not read or seen the hunger games.


	9. Kendra lV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to Yakall! Thank you for leaving kudos!
> 
> Me: Hey, Kendra can you-
> 
> Warren: I’M WARREN FREAKING BURGESS
> 
> Me: I wasn’t talking to youuuuuuu
> 
> Warren: Well yOu dOnT cOnTrOl mE
> 
> Brandon Mull: I do, for I own you. Time for you to get injured again.
> 
> Warren: AgAiN!
> 
> Me: And that is the sad truth.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story! :p

It felt nice to share a laugh, even if it meant it would never last. Ever since they had gotten to the dungeon Kendra had been a little depressed, not a constant feeling for her.

Her thoughts were constantly dwelling on the idea of escaping and she couldn’t let it go. Her only hope was getting out was a rhyme, which no one had a clue about. They were discussing it now.

“Can you repeat it?” Kendra asked.

Lilliana nodded and recited the rhyme,

You have found yourself in the giant queen's wrath.   
Forced to join her battles to the death.   
Try to escape, you shall always fail.   
Unless led out by her tail.

“Do you think it means the giant queen's tail?” Seth asked.

Lilliana looked at Seth, “Last time I checked she didn’t have a tail. By the size of her rump, it would be humongous, not one that you can hide under a skirt.”

Kendra snorted and laughed at the same time, almost choking herself in the process. Before long, everyone else had joined in as well. They sure seemed to be laughing a lot in this dungeon, Kendra hoped they weren’t going crazy. 

“So tell me about the arena,” Kendra said, “You haven’t said much about it.”

Lilliana’s expression turned grim, “What is there to say? Battles to the death. Two go in, one comes out. Like the Hunger Games. Alliances don’t last, no one likes to trust. Most of these people would honestly have death as mercy, after the monsters they’ve become.”

“Do you know who we are facing?” Kendra asked, “And any weaknesses.”

“There will be no we,” she said, leaving no room for emotion, “You will each be going in alone. There will be no exceptions.”

“I will personally resolve this dilemma,” Bracken vowed, “I will always go into the arena for us. Neither Kendra nor Seth will have to go in. I’m hard to kill anyway.”

Kendra searched Lilliana’s face and for a minute, she could have sworn she saw a flash of sadness and a bit of ‘it’s sad how innocent he is.’ Kendra couldn’t trace this one emotion, though it was one she had seen many times before.

Then all of a sudden, Seth and Bracken froze, unmoving and untalking. Isn’t any, Kendra instantly got in a defensive position, looking straight at Lilliana. “What did you do to them!” She demanded, doing her best to sound confident.

Liliana smiled, “I can let go of the spell any minute. I needed to talk to you in private. I swear that I mean no harm to you or your friends at this moment. My vow means a lot.”

“What are you?” Kendra asked.

Lilliana’s face was one of pure debate, “I cannot tell you yet,” she admitted, “But I swear that you will find out soon enough.”

“Why did you need to talk to me alone?” Kendra questioned.

Lilliana cocked her head, “Because they cannot know you are about to do this. Kendra, you must listen to me on this. I know who your first opponent will be. If your brother or your boyfriend tries to fight him, they will die.”

“First off, he’s not my boyfriend.” Kendra said, “And also, what do you mean?”

Lilliana pinched the bride of her nose, “Your opponent is a pure creature of darkness itself. Your boyfriend,” she emphasized it as if it were two different worlds, “Is too weak. You cannot fight fire with fire, you must fight fire with…”

“Water.” Kendra finished.

Lilliana nodded, “Yet you are not ready.” She said.

“I take it you want to train me?” Kendra asked, “I’m no longer oblivious to the magical world. I know how things work, but how do I know you won’t betray me like countless others? I have been betrayed before.”

Lilliana smiled, “What is your other choice?” 

Kendra didn’t have anything to say against that.

Lilliana stood up from the cot she had been sitting on and walked over to Kendra, “I am not oblivious to this world as well,” she said. “I may not know everything, but I know how to help you in so many ways.”

Kendra turned to her brother and unicorn friend, “And you’re sure they can’t see this? Why haven’t you used this spell to escape?”

“My tricks only get me so far,” she said, “Everyone outside of this dungeon is unaffected. This spell is highly unreliable because they can simply ask the time or they will know. In a dungeon, however, there is no sense of time like there is out there.”

Kendra understood though she was amazed at herself for it. It was also one of the saddest things she had ever heard. It’s like one of those depressing quotes she always cried about, but she shoved the thought from her mind.

“How can you help me? Kendra asked.

Lilliana smiled, “Your opponent is known for his eyesight. So he must be blind.”

“And what am I supposed to do about that?” Kendra asked.

“You have a light inside of you,” Lilliana said, “You know how to use your aura and adjust it, correct?”

Kendra nodded.

“Have you ever tried to make it leave your body?” Lilliana asked, “Leave your aura.”

“No,” Kendra said.

“A you have so much light within you,” Lilliana said, “Harness it. You can use it in so many ways. Light can give warmth. Light can show the way. Light can blind. Light can give hope. Light is a beacon. Light can do so many things, Kendra. You just have to look within it.”

“You’re not making any sense,” Kendra blurted out, “You're talking in riddles.”

Lilliana sighed, “You’ve been spending too much time around your brother.” She said, “You should forgive him though, you must, I should say.”

“And I will,” Kendra said, “Show me what you need to, I don’t want to leave them frozen like this.”

Lilliana regarded her silently, “Think about how you tone down your aura.” She said, “Focus all that energy into your hands. Rather than thinking about turning on a switch, think of it as clicking on a single section. By having less space to cover, the light will grow brighter.”

Kendra closed her eyes and pictured a drawing of herself. (Or at Keats of how she would like to look in reality.) She pictured a crayon filling in her hands and she slowly felt something flow through her veins to her hands. All of a sudden, Kendra winced in pain and opened her eyes.

“Light doesn’t always heal,” Lilliana warned, “You must not tamper with it lightly. Focus on healing as well, you must not let the pain touch you. Instead, channel it into the part where your skin does not make contact.”

Kendra closed her eyes and relayed her instructions. She felt a strong warmth surge from her chest and it traveled through her veins, filling her with an un-flickering warmth. She sometimes felt this way when Bracken healed her. She channeled the warmth down to her hands and upwards and she slowly felt the heat start to leave her hands.

“That’s it,” Lilliana encouraged, “Now picture this room. Spread the light around the room, leave no area with any shadows.”

Kendra pictured the room and opened her eyes to one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen in her life. All around the stone room was a beautiful yellow light, dancing along the walls. It shined so brightly, Kendra could hardly look at it. Was this what Bracken saw whenever he saw her?

Kendra reaches out to touch the light but it vanishes upon her contact. She drew her hand back as if she had touched a hot pan, cradling it protectively.

“Impressive,” Lilian approved, “You will use this light to blind your opponent. If you play this right, you may not have to kill him. Without his sight, he would be weak and helpless. It will be your choice to finish him off or not. Unless the queen interferes, which I highly doubt.”

“Blind him?” Kendra confirms, “I don’t have to kill him?”

“Most likely not,” Lilliana said, “But in the end, it will be your life or his.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish him off,” Kendra admitted, “to trade someone else’s life for my own?”

“It is in your nature,” Lilliana agreed, “But here’s some advice. Don’t do it for you. Some people would not be able to live without you.” She turned to look at the frozen Bracken.

Kendra blushed, “He doesn’t care about me like that.” She said, “But I will do it if it comes to it. Thank you.”

“Your thanks are not needed,” Lilliana said, “There will be a time when you need it and that time will be any second now. Keep this a secret and watch me in the arena.”

Kendra nodded and Lilliana snapped her fingers, breaking the spell.


	10. Seth V

Seth blinked, feeling a little stiffer than he had a minute ago, but he quickly shook it off. Man, dungeons always made him feel funky at times. He ended up blinking quite a few times, for his eyes were quite dry. Must be dusty down here as well. This just keeps getting better and better.

Just when he was recovering from the unexplainable dust in his eyes, he heard a lot banging coming from all sides of the wall. It was so loud, he was forced to cover his ears.

"What is going on!" He shouted over the noise.

"It's the wake up call!" Lilliana cried, "I have to leave! They're bringing us all to our waiting rooms for the arena!" She quickly pushed past a stone and shut it behind her, making it as if she was never there.

The banging of the walls went on for an agonizing five minutes before it stopped, but Seth would have preferred it rather than what was coming next. Seth watched a door suddenly appear as a rocky figure, similar to Hugo, cluni his way into the cell.

"Her majesty requests your presence." He said gruffly. "Fail to comply and you will be killed."

"We'll come peacefully." Bracken spoke up, putting his hands behind his head. Seth mimicked his actions and noticed Kendra do the same from the corner of his eye.

"Good," he said gruffly, "Follow me." Seth walked with him as he led them down a long stone hallway with no windows, making it almost pitch black inside. The only thing Seth was relying on was the pounding footsteps of the rocky figure. But even with that guidance, he still tripped quite a few times.

"In here." He said gruffly as he pointed to a smooth stone wall.

"There's nothing there though," Seth said, unable to stop the words from escaping his mouth.

The stony figure chuckled as he shoved both him, Kendra and Bracken straight into the stone wall. Seth didn't even time to scream, but to his surprise, he simply passed straight through the wall and fell against more stone.

This room was fairly lighted, but there was nothing to be seen. He was fully surrounded by stone walls with just enough room for all three of them to lay down maybe three times and with three seats. Knowing it wouldn't work, but trying anyway, he pushed back against the wall they had come through only to feel solid stone beneath his fingertips.

Seth sighed as he returned to his chair. He looked at his sister and friend and let out a sigh of relief that they were both alright. The both sat in their chairs, staring blankly into space as if they were both marching to death.

"So," Seth fried to break the silence, "What now?"

Silence. Seth immediately gave up on any conversation with them as he slumped back into his seat. Bracken looked at Seth and gave him a small squeeze on the arm. A comforting gesture along with a small smile.

"You'll be fine Seth." Bracken said, "And Kendra."

Seth looked over to his sister where she stared into space, fiddling with her fingers. Seth could have sworn she was glowing slightly, but it was just the torch light dancing off of her. Maybe he was starting to go insane.

Before Seth could answer to him, they heard a shaking around them.

BRING YOUR CONTESTANT FORWARD! The voice boomed, OR ALL WILL DIE ALONE.

Seth watched sadly as Bracken started to get up and head towards where they were coming from, Seth saw a flash of gold and was sure this time he hadn't imagined it, before the light brilliantly vanished from the room.

Confused, Seth quickly looked around the room and looked terrified at the site. Bracken was kneeling one-kneed in the ground, clutching his chest as if he had been punched as he struggled to get up. And his sister was gone.


	11. Kendra V

Kendra braced herself as she ran through the stone wall as she did her best to limit her light as she continued. As soon as she got through the stone wall, she was captured in the waiting hands of the same guards from earlier.

Kendra was terrified as they led her down the stone hallway. She took deep breaths but they did little to slow her beating heart. She watched as they continued to lead her down a different stone hall, turn after turn. Eventually, they reached an iron door which they pushed open as they threw her inside.

Kendra coughed as she breathed in a little dust and looked at her surroundings. She noticed right away she was in another stone room, similar to the one before. Only this time, there were other life forms. She almost said people, but that wouldn't apply to some of the things she was seeing.

All around here in the massive room were uncountable beings. Some human, some made of rock, some massive, some small. All wearing the same glare upon their scarred features. Kendra looked around timidly as she heard people whisper to one another, exchanging glances at her, she could have sworn she heard a few chuckles as well.

She looked around, trying to find out what to to do next. She also clearly felt a little intimidated by the people around her. All looked as if they had seen many battles and waged many wars. Whether they won or lost, it wasn't hard to see the scars on their faces.

"Eyes off her," Kendra heard someone say, she instantly flinched. She watched as everyone surprisingly backed away from the voice and bowed their heads in almost a show of respect to the person. Whoever it was, must be terrifying and that is exactly how Kendra was feeling.

She teased as someone walked through them, their figure hidden in the shadows but she let out a noise of happiness when she realized who it was. Kendra caught her friend in a desperate hug as Lilliana chuckled, but returned the hug gently before pulling back. At that moment, Kendra didn't care why all the other contestants had backed away from her. She got to see her friend.

"How are you doing?" Lilliana asked.

"I've been better," Kendra said, pulling away. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you," Lilliana said honestly, "I have to fight."

"Why were they all listening to you?" Kendra couldn't help but blurt. As much as she respected Lilliana, why were all these terrifying opponents clearing the way for her without a fuss? And she highly doubted these people would do it just to be nice.

She saw Lilliana flinch before she opened her mouth to respond. "I'll tell you later," was all she said, "You'll see."

Kendra didn't push it, this was a soar subject for Lilliana. "If they all respect you, can you make the person fighting me back down?" She asked hopefully.

"Kendra, these are fights to the death." Lilliana said gently, "They won't put their life down like that no matter what I say. They may respect me enough to move, but they won't do anything like that. It's up to you." Kendra heard a few grumbles in the crowd, most likely in agreement. Kendra supposed she would feel the same way in their shoes, but she couldn't help but hope.

"What happens now?" Kendra asked.

Lilliana looked as if she were about to respond, when all the stone walls vanished, leaving them in the very middle of a massive arena. Kendra had never seen such a sight in her life and was struggling to understand all of it.

The arena was massive, larger than four football fields. All around them in the bleachers lay giants taller than she had ever seen before, all cheering for the battles. And right in the middle of these bleachers, in a massive gold throne, sat the giant queen.

Kendra felt herself being pulled through the air towards a seat along with the ide of the arena as she was plopped into a chair. She knew it was most likely hopeless, but she tried to get up nonetheless. But she couldn't, it felt as if a large weight was sitting in her lap.

"Welcome to this week's games!" The giant queen announced proudly, "Today, we will be seeing three different battles!" Murmurs could be heard from the crowd.

The giant queen nodded crisply to one of the other giants, whom Kendra guessed to be a servant, who bowed their head back. "Rules are the same as always," the giant said, "Betting can be made at the counter with one of her majesty's official managers. People betting outside the official program shall find themselves in no better position than the opponents themselves."

Kendra noticed a few of the giants shifted uncomfortably, she guessed the illegal betting was quite popular for reasons she didn't know. But before she could finish thinking, the giant continued. "We have a new fighter, whom you will see in round 2 as well." Kendra flinched, "Without further ado, let the games begin!"

Kendra watched around her as she heard two snaps, like chains breaking. She watched in horror as Lilliana stood up. Though she knew her friend had survived many rounds, she couldn't help but worry for her. She also watched a massive stone troll follow in pursuit, towering over fifty feet tall.

Kendra struggled but found herself unable to move. She collapsed in her seat, feeling defeated as she watched the two of them circle each other threateningly.

"Lilliana, winner of 23 matches!" A different giant announced, "And Borlo, with 17."

"Begin!" The crowd echoed.

Kendra watched as they continued to circle each other, both beckoning the other to make the first move. The stone creature bellowed angrily and said something in a language Kendra could not understand. Lilliana seemed to and didn't look exactly happy about what he had said.

For a minute, Lilliana locked eyes with Kendra and sent a small smile her way. Kendra cocked her head curiously, but her curious toy was soon answered.

Lilliana snarled viciously as her dress made if tiger pelt began to surround her, making a blur of fur blowing around with a tornado. Kendra watched, eyes big as saucers as the dress continued to reform until Lilliana was over 10 feet tall… and she was a massive tiger.

Lilliana pounced at the stone troll, swiping viciously with her claws. The stone troll was prepared though and held up his arm to block the strike. With it's other Stoney hand, it prepared to backhand Lilliana across the jaw.

Kendra was frozen in shock as the battle raged on, but it didn't hold up for her.

Right before the stone hand hit Lilliana, the same blur of fur took place only faster this time, replacing the massive tiger with Lilliana once again. She dove onto his arm and ran up it, right up to the troll's face.

The troll ferociously tried to shake her off, but with little to no avail. As soon as she reached the head, she nailed a kick in the jaw before flipping backward and turning back into her tiger form. The troll cried out in pain as it turned around in hopes to hit her once again, but the pattern repeated itself. The fight went in for almost fifteen minutes before Lilliana took it a step farther.

Lilliana in her tiger form ran to the sidelines and grabbed a sword from an array of options Kendra had not seen before. She probably would have guessed they showed up with a victory. Lillian grabbed the sword in her jaw and charged the troll, reverting to her human form, or so Kendra guessed, she lashed the final strike on the troll.

He collapsed heavily into the dust. Lilliana dropped her sword and pressed her forehead to the trolls, muttering words Kendra or no one else could hear except for the troll. It managed one last nod before it crumbled to dust.

Kendra looked at the sight in horror, could her friend have done all of that? And would she do the same to her?

Her thoughts were cut short by the applause from the crowd. They had liked the performance but weren't necessarily awed by it. They had most likely seen Lilliana fight before so it wasn't as interesting. Or at least that's what Kendra thought.

"Next up!" A giant bellowed, "We have a fairykind," surprised murmurs from the crowd, "With zero wins and this as her first battle! As her opponent, known for his tremendous eyesight, please welcome, Scalio, master of twenty-one wins!"

Kendra watched in horrible awe as part of a wall vanished from the left side of the arena, revealing a giant snake. Over a bus in length and ten feet tall, it towered over Kendra as her beginnings snapped. She jumped from her seat and started running towards the other side of the arena as fast as she could, wheezing from the lack of recent exercise, she knew she must look extremely pathetic.

The snake chuckled, a strange sound coming from its mouth. It hissed before dashing towards Kendra as fast as it could, preparing to swallow her in one bite. Kendra desperately tried to call the light to herself but found herself having trouble.

Her hands slowly started to glow, but it wasn't going fast enough! The snake continued to grow closer and closer to her, looming over her as if she were a mouse. Desperate, she blew on her hands and rubbed them together, in the hope to brighten the glow, but it stayed with its slow stubborn pace.

Scalio grew closer and closer until it was standing just over Kendra. It scooped her up in his tail and started wrapping around her, hissing viciously. The snake grew tighter and together around her as she screamed. And that's when everything went nuts.


End file.
